Coincidence? We Think Not: Creative Commons and Copyright

First Ann Wood posted about her politely unnamed bird theives. Then Etsy's Storque carried a column on Creative Commons and Copyrights. Linda over at CraftApple posted two more interesting and link filled posts on the topic here and here.

Marimello talked about this topic awhile ago, but there seems to be a lot of copycatting going around these days. Many of the threads on Copyrighting are fueled by justifiable anger at the design thieves, but few seem to point to actual legal definitions and sites where a crafter can start the process of reclaiming a design.

A good place to start is the government's site on copyright. Sure it seems obvious, but it also seems boring. So suck it up and remember boring equals important.

If you've seen some of your designs floating on the web's high seas, best reel them in with a quick peruse of the government's site on fair use and copyright. Fair use means there are certain circumstances when it is OK to repost copyrighted works. So, before you head up the hill with torches burning, best to see EXACTLY what your rights are. And before you burn someone up in a tyrannical thread, know what their rights are.

Not to sign the post off on such a serious note...here's the fun part. Exactly which laws is Marimello breaking with that jpeg up top? Extra bonus points if you can tell us what laws our hamburglar halloween costume is not be breaking!

Protect Thyself: How Not To Become A Cog In A Mini-Mass Market Wheel

Let's get one thing straight. Marimello has been to countless factories in China. This is part of our day job. Marimello understands the process involved in getting that $2 item to the big box store display. Marimello feels very very weird when she sees it. Weird like cog-in-the-wheel weird.
The process by which any given item gets into your typical big box store is long and costly. It is not however without personality. The number of people that go into getting your shiny new toaster right on the shelf when you would boggle you mind.
Craft is different though. Buying from a crafter directly via online shops like Etsy, puts the consumer into direct contact with the creator. Consumers driven by the desire to purchase unique goods infused with the spirit of the artist has not been undocumented. In a culture where fewer crafts are handed down among family members, we have not lost the sense of importance in owning hand made treasures.
Not long ago a thread appeared on Etsy concerning a seller who sold items to another seller who turned around and sold them as her own. Obviously seller #1 was livid, but felt she had no recourse against buyer/seller#2. Where did she go wrong?
First we assume that the transactions of crafters are sacred and we are trying to protect ourselves from becoming cogs in a micro-mass market process. If this is you goal as a crafter I suggest looking into Creative Commons Licence. They're non-profit and even the software is totally free. From "all rights reserved" to "some rights reserved" a Creative Commons Licence can help you protect your designs on and offline. If someone misuses your design, you will still need to probably consult a lawyer, but at least you have back up.